


Hell Camp

by Eagefrien (orphan_account)



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Comedy, Gen, Horror, Im trying my best, Other, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 06:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11823081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Eagefrien
Summary: Nikki jumped out of her seat with sparkling eyes, deciding to win the race to the door. Neil warily watched Max join her toward the door, wondering how horrendously terrible their adventure will go. Reaching for the knob, Max and Nikki tried to balance their trays in their palms, the door flew open. There was a dramatic shift in the room’s atmosphere and the sound brought all the campers attention to the open door. Dread settling over them like a storm cloud. Neil's heart dropped as David stepped in, poorly masking his unease as the source of everyone's discomfort stepped in. A short man with blonde hair and eyes that reminded them of a dog stepped in.





	1. Chapter 1

           The rotten smell of whatever was served wafted among the mess hall. Max grimaced with disgust as he flicked the yellow goop at Nikki’s tray, who merely separated hers from his and continued eating. Neil rolled his eyes at their antics, and looked around the room, nervously waiting for a food fight to break out. He ducked down from air-borne food. Noticing him scanning over the tables suspiciously, Max pointed a fork at his head

           “Neil,” Nikki looked up from her food and at the taller boy, “the fucks got you so anxious?” Not sparing Max a glance, Neil glaring over the sea of adolescence, hands folding into his infamous raptor formation. Max leaned over the table to see who the raptor impersonator had his sights on now. Dolph finger painting the back of space kids helmet, barely dodging the sparks of Nerris’s and Harrison's magic battle, whilst Nurf tried to trip him just a few inches from Preston interviewing Ered.

           “It’s weird, nothing's been happening these past few days,” Neil explained, “No disaster, no life changing lessons, no activities that resulted in some weird adventure, the Woodscouts and Flowerscouts haven't even bothered us.”

           “Yeah!” Nikki interjected loudly, slamming both her hands down for emphasis, “It's been pretty boring, maybe we could capture some badgers and make them tree houses!”

           “Sounds good, Nik,” Lifting up his tray and demonstrating how slowly the yellow goop started to slide down, Max smiled at her, “Think Badgers will like this shit?”

           “We could catch forty badgers with that!” Nikki jumped out of her seat with sparkling eyes, deciding to win the race to the door. Neil warily watched Max join her toward the door, wondering how horrendously terrible their adventure will go. Reaching for the knob, Max and Nikki tried to balance their trays in their palms, the door flew open. There was a dramatic shift in the room’s atmosphere and the sound brought all the campers attention to the open door. Dread settling over them like a storm cloud. Neil's heart dropped as David stepped in, poorly masking his unease as the source of everyone's discomfort stepped in. A short man with blonde hair and eyes that reminded them of a dog stepped in.

           “David, are these the campers? Oh, you all are so cute!” The dog man squeaked excitedly. None of the campers responded, most standing perfectly still with slacked jaws and wide eyes. The loud wet slap of Nikki’s food hit the floor. Max then glared at Neil.

           “Way to go, champ.” Neil flipped him off silently.

           “Uh, who's this, David?” Nerris asked, joining the group of gathering children. Most of the campers were now staring at the two with various emotions.

           “Oh, my name is Damien, I’m an old friend of David's.” David nodded hesitantly in agreement. Raising his eyebrow as he stared at Damien, Max stepped in tow of the campers, trying to pinpoint why he was so familiar. Damien’s smile didn't waver. Ered crossed her legs to mask her nervousness, questioning with suspicion.

           “Why are you here?”

           “I'm applying for a counseling job here, David’s giving me a tour.”

           “We all remember how great that went last time.” Preston said with a dramatic eye roll, then flinching slightly at everyone else's tense reactions. He failed to see Damien's eye twitch while his expression twisted to confusion. Harrison changed the subject quickly.

           “So, you’ll be a new counselor?” Harrison gripped his wand tightly, he glanced over at Neil as he added to the question.

           “And why here, of all places?”

           “Oh, well... that's because he went to camp with me!” David explained, with both of his hands on his hips, “C’mon Damien, I still need to show you the theater.” The counselor said, starting toward the door, not waiting for Damien to follow him outside. Ered leaned back against the table and scoffed. Joining her by sitting on a chair, Preston’s face scrunched up with a mixture of disgust and relief.

           “Who the fuck does he think he is, to bring such a despair to our camp?” He pondered aloud, scratching his chin.

           “Maybe he’s just really… enthusiastic about the job opportunity?” Harrison offered, smiling nervously. Nurf merely shook his head, slouching in a seat and picked at his nails with a knife, Harrison's eyes widened as he went on to question where the bully had the blade hidden.

           “I got a sexual predator vibe from him.” He casually added into the conversation.

           “What’s a sexual predator?” Nikki asked with a tilt of her head.

           “They’re adults or people who will try to have sex with someone no matter what. My mom tells me they usually target kids,” Neil explained a bit bluntly, “Why do you think Damien is one-”

           “Because they’re usually disgusting people, and I wouldn’t doubt it for a minute if that creepy fucker was one.” Max spat, his hands balled into fists as he tried to focus on his thoughts, if one more person were to say anything, he’s sure he would clock them in the mouth. The campers stared at him confused. Shaking his head, Max glared down at the floor. “Neil, Nik, remember that weird kid from Spooky Island?”

           “You mean the kid who wanted to get rid of the evil? Yeah he was cool, we were going to make a theme song together for our investigation group!”

           “You mean Jasper?” Neil corrected, “What about him?”

           “Didn’t that guy look like him?” Nikki leaned back and nodded.

           “Yeah, actually, Damien does look-”

           “Wait,” Interjected Dolph curiously, “ who exactly is Jasper?”

           “Some kid we met on Spooky Island.”

           “Some kid? Alone?” Nerris asked, twiddling her thumb as she tried to put on a more confident mask, it was so painfully obvious that he rolled his eyes with his answer.

           “Yep, his parents must have been stuck in the 90’s, he kept spouting stuff about pogs and light up shoes.”

           “Weird kid, how’d he get on spooky island?”

           “We never asked, but If I had to guess, I’d say he and his parents came there to investigate the evils.” Nikki guessed excitedly.

           “Jasper never mentioned parents dying or anything like that. He probably ran away, he always did cover his chest when he got scared.” Neil explained, Preston glanced up.

           “He must've taken refuge there from an abusive home life!” Twiddling the end of his wand, Harrison spoke up.

           “I don’t think Damien is good news, even David was uncomfortable around him, and he was happy with Daniel being here.”

           “That wouldn’t be the best example due to how it was resolved, but I must agree. David is usually happy all the time!” Quickly, Dolph glanced around the room to confirm once again that Damien was not in the room with them, “I have the sneaking suspicion that Damien is hiding something.”

           “Like what?” Dolph simply shrugged and shook his head.

           “I’m unsure.”

           “But David also said that they went to camp together, maybe they-”

           “Have a life long rivalry sparked by love?” Preston shouted, eyes wide and sparkling. His expression fell as the campers casted him another judgmental glare.

           “Whatever it is- It’s fucking weird, and-”

           “Hey Max, why don't we just ask QM?” Nikki suggested, inciting immediate disgust and discomfort as the campers remembered ‘Quartermaster appreciation day’, that they were forced to partake in.

           “As long as we don't have to go into his room again, I'm good.” Ered stood up and stretch out her back. The campers, now in a semi-circle, glanced at each other, anticipating one another's thoughts and next moves. The mutual understanding of what had to happen.

           “NOT IT!” They all shout and leap back. All except for Space kid, who flinched and whipped his head around to see what the campers had thought. He choked only slightly.

           “What's going on?” He asked nervously, not wanting to doubt them all, but really wanting to go back to his tent from all the noise. Stepping toward him, Dolph explained.

           “We need you to go and ask the quartermaster something, is that alright?” Space kid made a small noise but nodded his head. Dolph grinned at him and gently started to pull his friend toward the door.

* * *

 

          “Quartermaster?” The campers peered from their hiding spots, watching Space kid and Dolph confront the tall, probably immortal man. QM’s crusted beard had strange red stains in it, doing nothing to help with his dead eyes. Space kid and Dolph physically shuddered and stood just a bit closer. Dolph gently nudged Space kid.

           “Uh... can you tell us about a kid named… uh..” Space kid glanced over at Dolph nervously.

           “Damien.”

           “Yeah him, can you tell us about him?” Space kid forced his best grin. Quartermaster just gruffed.

           “Never heard of him.”

           “But David said he went to camp with him.” Dolph pointed out, “Surely you have records of all the past campers, don't you?”

           “Yep.”

           “Could we see it?”

           “Nope.” The two glance at each other worriedly.

           “Why's that?” Dolph tested, frowning a bit as he pondered the strange man's reasoning. As if on cue, the ground rumbled and winds howled. Space kid latched to Dolph arm as massive deer raced out of the woods, moles sprouting from the ground. An army of Woodland creatures being mounted by squirrels scampered out of the woods. The elder bared his hook in defiance. The familiar gray eyepatch squirrel pointed a sharp stick toward Quartermaster, squeaking commands to its comrades. Dolph and Space kid heard a ca-chunk, and noticed the bloodied hook now lying in the dirt. With wide, scared eyes, they quickly look toward QM’s hand to see a revolver taking its place. Screams rang out at the first gun shot, all the campers scamper from their hiding places.  
           Nerris ducked down as a buck raced toward her. She gasped as suddenly found herself in the air and swinging by her cape. Bullets fly by her as she screams out.

* * *

           “-And this is the counselor's cabin.” David announced after throwing open the door, giving just enough space for Damien to squeeze in. He peered around the room, taking in the cluttered office. Reading drawer tags that had ‘knee high’ socks scribbled into it, Damien trotted further into the room as David closed that door behind him and watched. He took a deep breath as he gently hugged himself, forcing a wide smile as Damien looked over.

           “Cozy~” He playfully remarked, “I guess you and your co-worker already occupy this one?” David raised his eyebrows at the phrasing.  
  
           “Oh, yeah. Those are our beds in the back.” Gwen's bed was lazily made, littered with a few of her magazines and books, one that he rather she didn't just leave out. Gritting his teeth, David watched Damien examine his own bed. Heart hammering in his mouth as he heard an eerie violin cord, which don't nothing to soothe the alarmed butterflies. He hasn't felt like this since Quartersister and Quartermaster had their _‘Reunion’._

           “Uh- I'm sure we can make a place for you and your friend.. uh.. what was her name?” David quickly sputtered out. Chuckling softly, Damien rolled his head back to smile at him.

           “Gabby, and seriously, don't worry about a place for us to sleep. A tent will suffice!”

           “But we don't have any good tents-”

           “David,” his heart stopped at how.. unusual it sounded, “Sleeping in a tent won't kill us, in fact- it's a major upgrade from our last home!” Damien's eyes sparkled slightly as David stepped to the side. A shudder ghosted down his back as Damien’s face changed, wondering how his face could be devoid of so much-

           “I… keep reminding you of Jasper, don't I?”

           “What? Of course you don't-”

           “You called me by his name when you saw me.” David choked, whether it be by his own words, fear, or by the lump in his throat. Gently smiling, Damien turned to him entirely, eyes crinkling a bit too much at the ends. “Don't worry about it, happens all the time.”

           “Still, it must have been hard on you and your family-” _‘Stop talking David, you’re going to make things worse.’_

           “I actually don't know how my parents reacted to that- They kicked me out.”

           “What?”

           “Oh yeah, they were always like that. Guess they finally had enough, as soon as I got home, pew~!” Damien made a strange motion depicting his head being struck, smiling as if it was a casual joke. David frowned, unable to picture the scene. _‘How come Mr.Campbell never did anything about this? Surely Jasper or Damien would have gone to someone with the issue... If Damien had even gone.’_ In fact, David didn’t have any memory of Damien at camp as a kid. Maybe he just… didn’t come out of his tent.

           “David,” he lifted his head, Damien was standing shyly by Gwen's side of the cabin, “what’s your coworker like?”

           “Gwen? Oh she’s spectacular!” David smiled brightly as he shoved down the feeling of dread, “Gwen always follows her dreams and does all she can to achieve her goals- even risking her pride and safety to do so. Gwen is also one of the smartest people I know; she has two liberal arts degrees, and knows how to deal with really stressful situations, as well as project management skills. She’s helpful and is great at communicating with teammates effectively.” David rattles on, Damien matched his beaming grin.

           “Besides, if it wasn't for Gwen, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done around here! Also- Gwen has immeasurable amounts of determination for her future, and is super considerate of other people's feelings- ah...” In that moment, he became acutely aware of his surroundings. Beads of sweat started to fork along his head and suddenly his clothes were tight and constricting. Damien was standing straight up like a soldier. His smile not faltering.

           “Wow, Gwen sounds awesome, I can't wait to meet her!” Damien announces eagerly, “Where is she?”

           “At the market, fetching food and marshmallows for tonight's bonfire."

           “A bonfire?” Bouncing on his heels similarly to a child, Damien could already see the kids happily huddled together around a large, crackling fire. For a single second, he was reminded of his old camp. Damien’s heart sheds its sorrow at the happy memory.

           “Well Damien, it's a treat for the campers since they've been really good lately. I'm sure the campers would love to have you join.” David could already picture the looks of discomfort illuminated by the flames, however, Damien became elated at the offer. _‘It's fine, he's just excited to be back. No big deal, lots of people get excited about things.’_

           “I’d love to!” Brainstorming ideas of how to make the night fantastic for the little ones, Damien wished for a pad of paper to jot it down, “I'm sure there's a lot we can do for them tonight. Such a shame that Gabby isn't able to take part.”

           “Why isn't she coming in today?” The question lingered in his mind for a while, perhaps he was just distracted.

           “Because she's the worst!” Damien laughed blissfully, “Ah- just kidding. She's helping out a daycare today, trying to gain a few extra bucks to make sure she doesn't look like a bum.”

           “Oh-uh, what's... Gabby like? Is she nice?”

           “Absolutely! I'm sure you'd like her, since she's always making sure people around her aren't feeling lonely or sad. Not only that, but she's very in tune with her artistic soul.” Damien held out his phone, it was a tall girl next to a large painting in a run down room. The painting itself, was of a bird on presumably a beach, made entirely with red paint.

           “That's... nice.”

           “Yeah, she’ll be applying tomorrow! And-” Voice cutting out as he jogged to the window, David leaned over him and caught sight of what Damien saw. Nerris screaming finally reached their ears. The door opened in seconds and they dashed out of the door.

           “H-hold on, Nerris, we’re coming!” David tried to shout out and comfort the terrified girl. Damien rushed past him, clearly not thinking of a plan to help, but already approaching the buck. The giant animal made a threatening call, practically stamping down on Nerris.

           “I don't have enough exp!” She yelled, her dice flying out of her pockets. She barely saw Damien pulling something out of his pocket and lunging toward its head. thrashing its head, screams of agony erupted from buck.

           “David, Get her-!” David ran toward them, barely dodging on of the antlers about to ram into his head. As soon as Damien grabbed it by it's antlers, he unhooked Nerris’s now torn cape and held her close, backing away from the large animal as he saw what Damien was now doing.

           He stabbed a switch blade into the buck’s neck and ripped it through the flesh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil scribbled on the lined paper, reciting algorithms, practicing chemical equations and sketching the diagrams of cells, atoms and occasionally glancing at the flimsy science books from the godforsaken science camp. He hummed lightly, trying to drown out the near-constant buzz of cicadas and Max. He breathed in softly, standing up and pacing around the room, scratching at his cheek as he went over the periodic table once more, only lifting his head when sudden noises jolted him out of the train of thought. Sticks snapping or animal calls were expected.
> 
> A fucking car wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone, Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of this, It was a lot of fun to write out, and I'm especially glad to finally get this chapter out. I hope you all enjoy!

        Neil scribbled on the lined paper, reciting algorithms, practicing chemical equations and sketching the diagrams of cells, atoms and occasionally glancing at the flimsy science books from the godforsaken science camp. He hummed lightly, trying to drown out the near-constant buzz of cicadas and Max. He breathed in softly, standing up and pacing around the room, scratching at his cheek as he went over the periodic table once more, only lifting his head when sudden noises jolted him out of the train of thought. Sticks snapping or animal calls were expected.

        A fucking car wasn't.

        Neil had paused and listened closely, honing in on the rumble. Alarms ringing in his ears, ‘there's a road directly beside this rundown, piece of shit, Neil. You know this, just sit down and immerse yourself in your work.’ Going against his better logic, Neil peeked his head through the tent flaps, scanning the line of trees for wildlife, as well as the two headlights illuminating everything in the camp, including, open tents. Neil let go of the tent flaps, deciding to just return to his desk. Immediately he sat down, clinking his pencil against a tube, hearing the familiar sound of Max waking up.

        “Morning, Max.”

        “What time is it?” Max stretched with a quiet moan. Neil tapped his watch, squinting to read the small, red numbers.

        “Good question. 2:53.” With an exhausted- and admittedly exaggerated- grown, Max flings himself onto his pillow, tempted to ignore the car engine and just sleep. Max glared at the roof of the tent, fists tightening and a headache already assaulted him.

        “God, fucking dammit. Neil, what the hell’s going on?”

        “Someone’s here.”

        “Motherfucker! It better not be another fuckin’ counselor. I’m already sick of Damien and his obsession with us.” The rant fell on partially deaf ears, Neil was more entranced by the burner.

        “You should go tell them off, maybe they’ll run for the hills.”

        “Shut the fuck up, Neil.”

        “Right back at you.” Moments full of the pencil scratching against the paper, until suddenly, the crickets went silent, replaced by footfalls. Alarmed, Neil and Max sat up. The tent flaps flew open, revealing a disheveled Nikki in a raccoon onesie. Her face contorted with an anxiety only seen once before.

        “Hey guys, can I sleep here tonight?” She leaped into the bed, not giving either a chance to respond.

        “Nikki, get off!” Max screamed, falling off the bed in an attempt to get Nikki away, lines of profanity filling the air. Cocooned in thin sheets, Nikki became another lump on the bed. Neil set down his pen with an exasperated sigh and stood up to help Max get to his feet.

        “Alright, what happened?” Pointing at the bundle, Max snarled, glaring intensely at her. Nikki exploded out of her shell.

        “The grim reaper! He’s here!”

        “The grim reaper- what are you going on about? The grim reaper doesn’t exist!”

        “But he does exist!” Exploding out of her shell, Nikki rattled on in a short whine, “you’ve seen all the movies he’s in, and he’s here.”

        “According to that logic, God would be above us and there would be vampires that stalk highschoolers and sparkle in the sun.” Max pointed out, haphazardly dumping water in the coffee machine and watching Nikki kneeling on his cot. Her expression was blank as she pointed at Neil.

        “He sparkles in the sunlight.” “It’s called sweat, Nikki! Don’t associate me with that garbage.” Neil cut off, unintentionally yelling and knocking over yet another water bottle.

        “Sounds like something a vampire in disguise would say.”

        “Ugh, keep it down.” Max massaged his forehead, “Gwen or David might hear you and wake up everyone.” A shrill shriek disrupted their argument. Nikki scrambled out of the bed to confront the noise out of curiosity, dragging the two boys with her. Poking their heads out, they instantly noticed the headlights shining on four unfortunate souls.

        “What’s with the magic trio and Ered?” Neil flinched as the car door flung open, ominous shadows stepping out, suddenly cutting out the headlights and the engines at once. An audible noise came from Harrison. Their faces were shrouded in terror, trembling and shaking in their boots. Preston clung to Nerris’s cape as the person pointed a flashlight at their faces, giving leeway to the person holding it. Nikki raised her trembling finger

        “There he is… and he brought his hellhounds to hunt us down!”

        “Nikki, shut up. You’re overreacting and making yourself paranoid -“ another beam of light shined in their eyes. Urging the trio to retreat and go back to bed.

        “What’s going on?” The voice called out, and Neil didn’t resist the overwhelming urge to groan and squint from the bright light pouring out of the counselor's cabin

        “Great. Daniel 2.0 arrived.”

        “Quick! Before he starts squeaking!” Nikki gasped, cueing the three to skedaddle.

        “Ugh, this is so lame.” Grumbling bitterly, Ered rolled back her head, deciding to glare at her boots- scuffing it against the dirt. Preston scoffed, barely masking his obvious anxiety. He flinched from Nerris swinging her sword in front of them threatening.

        “Stand back fiend, before I cast a vampiric touch!”

        “She’ll do it!” Harrison warned, his intimidation wavering slightly with a stutter. He mimicked Nerris, a spark of color flashes from his wand’s tip. She glared at him,

        “Let me handle this, Harrison!” The Mystery person held up their hands. 

        “Calm down, would ya? No need to threaten me with that blade of yours.” At this point, Preston couldn’t help but notice the painfully obvious attempt at a dramatic reveal, the light casting between them and over the kids, but keeping the person completely dark. Nonetheless, Preston took a deep breath and envisioned a hideous beast so he wouldn’t be surprised. The person stepped forward, revealing the incredibly thin and tall woman. Eyes widening, Preston stepped away and accidentally onto Ered shoe, who scoffed at both that and the woman’s appearance. Nerris and Harrison flinched. The tension was interrupted when a cry of excitement brought their attention to the cabin. Damien dashed across the grass, his smile almost overbearingly wide. He latched onto her, squeezing tightly, only coming up to her shoulders.

        “Don’t you two compliment each other well.” Preston wheezed out. Damien turned his head, eyebrows furrowing in surprise and crouching down to be eye level, now staring at them sternly.

        “Why are you up?” Their eyes widened, nervous and confused glances were noticeably shared. Raising an eyebrow, Damien waited suspiciously.

        “Uh- we were, just.. um..” Nerris started, trying to suppress the bubbling anxiety.

        “Adventuring!” Preston interjected, taking over quicker than relief could set in, “Our dear Nerris, here… wet the bed! We went to go fetch some blankets from Ered, but she gave all of hers to Dolph and Space kids. Now we’re looking for the place that they keep the blanket-“

        “Bullshit.”

        “Gabby!” Damien hissed, standing back up to address her.

        “But- it’s the truth!” Nerris’s claim was cut short.

        “Your nose is red,” A short gasp came from her as she reached to cover her nose in shame, “and, you’re walking away from the cabin.” A disappointed frown tightened over Damien’s face as he turned to the oddly quiet magician.

        “Harrison, what exactly were you all doing?” Shoulders both tensing and falling, Harrison fixated on anything but Damien and his friend.

        “Like they said.. we were just getting blankets.”

        “I imagine that David would have let you all know about the blankets in the counselor's cabin.” Damien took a step forward, watching Harrison similarly to that of a predator.

        “I- I mean, yeah-“

        “Then why are you out here?” Another step and the four cowered together, except for Ered, who admirably glared down the two. Harrison tore his gaze from the dirt, voice catching in his throat once he made eye contact with the piercing glare.

        “We’re going back to our tents!” Preston yelled, terrified of the hands of the devil wrapping its spindly fingers around his friend.

        “Ah, I asked Harrison.”

        “Outhouse?”

        “Together?”

        “Safety in numbers, yeah?”

        “And you need rope, to go to the bathroom with your friends?” They all glance down at the rope that was poorly hanging in Harrison’s grasp.

        “No…?” Damien took another step closer, his expression growing more intense as he stared down at Harrison, whose expression twisted with dread and regret.

        “Where were you going?” Now Damien was practically yelling, threats spilling out of his mouth without a word. Harrison’s heart beating hard with anticipation.

        “..S-spooky island..” Trembling, the magician recoiled as Ered stepped in front of him.

        “Get off his back, asshole. We’re just going to see Jasper.” Damien stepped back, eyes widening. Nerris took their chance to drag her friends back, wooden sword ready and aimed at the counselors head. Behind her, Harrison seemed to be whimpering and comforted by Preston.

        “Jasper, is he a kid you know?”

        “Well, no,” Ered shrugged nonchalantly, “but some friends told us he was there.” Thick silence wafted over them, leaving them all in a state of confusion and unease. Standing upright, Damien delicately smiled at them.

        “I have a feeling you four will do this anyway?” Preston and Nerris’s shoulders sunk, but Ered was the one to confirm it with a scowl, “at least you’re honest. If that’s the case, I'm coming with.” Preston's head then snapped up, fire blazing in his eyes.

        “Coming with us? You were just scolding us for being out!” He shouted, not noticing the way his friend flinched. But Damien simply tilted his head.

        “That’s simply because I didn’t know why; The rope makes sense now.” Damien toothily grinned, similarly to that of David’s.

        “Yo, Dam,” Gabby finally coughed, “I’d love to join you all kid-hunting, but I need you to direct me where to go for the job."

        “Yeah- just go over there…” The four kids stepped away from the adults to disciple their new situation. Huddled together, Harrison was the first one to whimper.

        “I'm sorry guys..” He panted, “I.. crack under pressure..!”

        “We know that Harrison,” Nerris remarked, side glaring the counselor.

        “Why’d you even have the rope out? It totally gave us away!” The theater nerd suddenly interjected.

        “I don’t know! ..I’m sorry..”

        “As I was saying! We have to devise a plan.”

        “We have a plan, we just go to the island and talk with Jasper, that’s it.”

        “But, Damien’s coming too.”

        “I know, but we can still talk to Jasper with him there, we just have to watch what we say.”

        “Ready to go, kids?” Yelping, they jump out of formation, Gabby strolling over to the cabin and Damien towering over them. Eyes wide, similarly to an owl, watching them like an obsessive consumer.

        “Uh..”

* * *

 

        “Yeah, this is weird.” The boat creaked and groaned from their collective weight and the rolling waves. Nerris, Harrison, and Preston crammed into one seat. Ered now uncomfortably sat next to the smiley Damien, rising the paddled lightly, even then, he remained happy and unchanging. Preston twisted his head, taking in the foggy island, just barely masking the tall house. ‘Why is it that creepy mansions always have a thick fog surrounding it?’ Shrinking away slightly, he couldn’t help but stare at it, hoping to capture a photo of it in his head to always remember it. Taking a deep breath, he tried to imagine himself as a courageous character, braving the seven deadly seas so that his other wouldn’t have to.

        “All is well, my dear, Dominic. The howling seas shall not lead me into deaths mighty jaw.” Preston monologues, deepening his voice just a tad bit. Harrison glanced over at him.

        “That a new play?” Thankfully the waves were kind enough to roar that night, masking his tiny voice, Preston nodded silently as he envisioned the scene. Pulling out a small bite pad, he waved it in front of Harrison’s eyes. Digging through his breast pocket, Harrison produced a tiny pencil and handed it over. Immediately, Preston jotted out scenes, ideas, and anything else that came to mind for the story. Preston was halfway done with ‘deadly’ when the boat jolted. He looked up in surprise and could testify that the house was downright creepy now that it was a few yards away. The hair on the back of his neck prickled whilst the cold chilled him down to the bone. Shivering and trudging through freezing, ankle-high water, he lifted his notebook to see the damage done. A long scrap of lead ran across the paper. Preston scowled, shoving t into his pocket and wading after the four.

        “So, Jasper was his name?” Damien asked, scanning the bay with his flashlight.

        “Might’ve been Casper..” Harrison murmured under his breath, earning another glance from Nerris.

        “Hm,” Paying particular attention to the shaking bushes, Damien honed his gaze. The beam of light slowly moved overs patch of rustled grass and dying plants. Preston tried to see exactly what the counselor was looking at. Damien gasped, the flashlight falling into the sand, it’s beam conveniently in line with what caused Damien to freak out. A young boy standing there, dressed in outdated patterns, a wide smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short, I hope you like it.

“... and then- he went against everything he’s ever told us! ‘Go back to the camp - he sent us back by ourselves - i’ll take care of Jasper and protect him from the island!’ It makes no sense! Especially after he gave Harrison an anxiety attack!” Max winced, ears ringing from the random shouting from Preston. It didn’t surprise him when Preston quietly murmured a ‘thank you’ in response to Max placing a large mug of hot chocolate in front of him. Max sat down, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Damien gave him an anxiety attack?”

“Yelled at him until he sobbed.”

“Jesus, thats rough buddy.” Preston bowed his head, seemingly deep in thought, before popping up suddenly.

“Wanna help me make him pancakes?” He asked, a smile spreading over his lips. 

“How the fuck did you go from Damien giving kids anxiety attacks, to pancakes?” Some coffee spilling out of his cup from the sudden movements, Preston sank, face filled with his own anxiety.

“My old directors used to make pancakes the day of big performances to help calm us down!” He explained, “Harrison will surely forget about it with a big meal!” The excited grin shifted to shock as his companion started to laugh, “H-hey, what's so funny, Max, Why must you mock me for trying to help my friend?” Preston nearly shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Max’s face. The camper looked up at him.

“You do realize there is a difference between stagefright and an Anxiety attack, right? You can get over stage fright once you’re on the actual stage, but anxiety can stick with you for a while.”

“Oh,”

“But… maybe he’d like to eat some pancakes anyway.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   “So, how did do you find all of your dogs?” Nikki asked, peeking over the barrel of the gun and forcing it down toward her stomach. Laughing curtly, Gabby huffed and switched the safety back on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It is I! An author who spends 8 years devising a chapter! I’m proud of how this turned out so I hope you all like it!

        The woman lined the scope with the peaceful baby doe, which softly nibbled on the grass and leaves, standing in the open, an all too easy target. She almost turned her sights away from the easy victory. However, a target is a target. Raising the scope so that she could very clearly make out the definition of fur on its back, she slowly sighed, allowing the universe to fill her lungs with determination and stardust, breathing out as her finger teased the trigger. Tuning out the unnecessary rustle of the wind and its dance with the vacuum of space around her. Unbeknownst to her, an intruder whisked away behind the trees and into a bush, pink eyes widening in the stark green. It let out a gurgling growl as it slunk through the grass. A growl that faded into the universe that the women became in tune with, steady and prepared to pull the trigger. The deer became clear as it munched on a branch. Only to be blocked by a pink eye.

         “So, how did do you find all of your dogs?” Nikki asked, peeking over the barrel of the gun and forcing it down toward her stomach. Laughing curtly, Gabby huffed and switched the safety back on.

         “Don’t do that, you could get your head shot off. And I found them.” 

         “From where?” Nikki plopped down in the dirt, watching Gabby with fascination and wonder. 

         “From the sewers under the forests.” 

         “That doesn’t make sense,” Gabby rolled her eyes, “Dogs aren’t born in _sewers_ , where’d you come up with that?”

          “Where’d you learn the full knowledge of dog birthing?” Bouncing with enthusiasm, Nikki quickly spoke.

          “My uncle has a litter almost every month! And he told me I can only have puppies in a warm environment.”

         “Yeah, whatever you say.” Gabby knocked Nikki over playfully, quickly getting her out of the way. Nikki jumped to her feet in seconds, glancing up at the other campers, all of which were crowded around Nurf. His gun directed toward a large buzzing mass up ahead. 

         “HEY! Don’t shoot the bee’s nest unless you’re trying to sign a death warrant! And don’t hit the trees; it’ll ricochet!” The said boy glared, begrudgingly smacking the gun back into Dolph’s chest- the apparent original owner. Smiling gleefully, Dolph trotted toward Gabby, and all of the other children dispersed. 

         “Miss Gabby?” The woman gunned in response, not even acknowledging him, but instead gazing at the scope of the gun, “what exactly is the point of this? No one of us came to camp With the intent of shedding blood.” 

      “ _Kinda expected the opposite of you.”_ Gabby said under her breath, “It’s good for you brats to learn how to live off the land, just In case of emergencies.” 

         “What.. kind of emergencies?” 

        “The government shutting down, or maybe a few cultists will show up. That sorta thing.” Frowning lightly, Dolph quickly turned away. He ran toward the spot where Ered sat bored, braiding grass together into a rope. Dropping the gun down, he plopped down next to her. 

       “Gabby is very strange, she wants to do Incase of a government shutdown. How ridiculous.” 

         “That’s pretty weird, hm.” Lining up the barrel with one of the many targets, Ered pondered the two counselors, “Maybe they're related to Daniel?” 

         “Daniel? They look nothing alike!” 

    “That’s not what I mean.” Dolph flinched at the piercing noise and looked at the target to see if she was accurate. 

       “How unfortunate,” the target hadn’t been punctured once. The bullets buried in the dirt was telling. 

         “You will eventually get the hang of it, Ered, fret not.” The sky was a lot more interesting than being hunched over a gun at this point.    

        “When do you think we’ll be allowed back inside?”

        “Probably when David or Gwen calls it off. Who knows when.” Dolph answered, looking up to see what Ered stared at.

      “I hope.” Several large tree branches snapped, jolting the two away from the sky and to giant cloudy brush. Long snouts pushing through the clearing, snarling and teeth dripping with blood. Screams were caught in their throats and they scrambled to stand. Ered trying to jam it into the chamber. Another muzzle poked through and Dolph forced himself to rip his gaze away to the direction of the camp, prepared to run if need be, but there was narrow blue eyes were hidden in the trees behind them.

         “Oh- _oh dear_ … I am fearful for our safety..! At this rate, we’re far off mimicking deformed gorillas!”

        “Hey! Vietnam jokes aren’t cool!” The gun blasted. Bark exploded off a tree where it grazed, Ered, now on the ground, watched in horror as the bullet bounced almost comically off each tree, deflecting and flying through the strands barely covering Dolph’s scalp. Whipping their heads back, they watched just in time to see the bullet plunge into a familiar green shirt.

       “No!!” Ered shouted, not realizing who stood there, holding two hefty vests beside a tree.

      “Good aim, Ered!” They laughed gleefully, shaking their hair from their face, showing off deep bags and sickly blue eyes. Damien leaned over the two, smile as wide as usual and staring intently. Ered shrank back, the unwavering blanket of dread falling over both of them. Her ears rung, unable to hear anything over the pressure building and an erratic heartbeat- only to be interrupted by a roar and branches snapping, Damien looked up and his grin softened. Dust clouds flew up as the vests slammed into the ground.

         “Denny! C’mere boy!” Dolph yelped in shook when the beast leaped over his head, clambering around the shorter man and dancing on their hind legs for attention tongues slobbering joyfully. Dogs. They were dogs. Not evil, demonic beasts ready to pounce and swallow them whole, but dogs. Damien laughed happily while petting each one thoroughly, before redirecting his attention back to the two campers. Two vests which were now back in his hands- then throwing it back at the two. Dolph instantly collapsed under the pressure while Ered was mostly winded.

        “W-what is it? It's so heavy!” Barely able to hoist it up on onto his chest- _barely_ \- Dolph wheezed intensely, thrown off balance and practically sinking into hell right there. Chuckling, Damien plucked the vest _and_ Dolph. Recognizing the sort of parental coddling behavior, he simply raised his arms without question. 

        “They're Bulletproof vests.”

      “What are they made of-” The vest consumed Dolph like a snake- the sudden weight made him crumple like a lawn chair. Eref winced, searching around for the pack of dogs that vanished as soon as they weren't looked at.

      “It’s made out of multiple bulletproof clothes. These are just the vests, but the Jackets? Ah- _Muah_ ~” Like the weird bastard that he is, Damien made of flourished kiss movement.

         “Ugh, can you ask normal for _one_ second?” Damien didn’t hear Ered’s comment and carried on.

       “Sure, the vests are a bit heavy, but you get used to it over time. They’re sturdy enough to allow you to be shot up to eight hundred times! Pretty stellar, if I do say so myself. I definitely recommend that you always wear to protect yourself, even from _bears_!” 

         “Hold on… Dolph started quietly, wheezing heavily, “didn’t you get the sharp end of Ered’s bullet?” With a hearty laugh, Damien reached down- and as if it was the most casual thing in the world- lodged his fingers into the hole and casually ripped it out into view. 

        _“See?”_

* * *

.  “Don’t choke.” graphs of quartermaster, carelessly letting more- now brown mush - fall next to plastic ham and the disgustingly creamy green beans. Scowling, Harrison show starts the urge to constantly vomit and tried stabbing into it. It's screams of Anguish and suffering.

         “So, Ered, what happened to you?” Space Kid asked, curious but fascinated by the daring tale, Ered shifted, keeping her head down. 

    “I accidentally shot at Damien.” Cartoonishly, everyone's heads shot up, attention hooked like fish. Questions exploded from each of the bug-eyed freaks. A hurricane of words and phrases combining and mixing until her head spun. Only a few questions were coherent.

        “Where? Where’d you shoot him?”  
        “Why isn't he dead?”  
       “How’d you shoot him? I didn’t know you guys were actually using guns! I thought you were out collecting berries, or nuts, or… some nature bullshit like that!”  
        “We weren't! And a bunch of dogs came out of nowhere, we thought it was the end!”  
        “What did you do next?”  
        “How’d you even manage to hit him!”  
        “What was your precision?”  
        “I wasn't aiming for him, I was aiming for one of the dogs!”  
        “You aimed for the dogs?”  
        “What did those poor pups do to you?”  
        “We thought they were beasts”

      “ShUT UP!” A loud, annoyed shout pieced the buzz of commotion, silencing the group before plopping down back in his seat. “You all are giving me a headache, I can barely think with all of your excessive screechings, Ya’ damn banshees.”

      “Good one, Preston, really sent them running,” Max rolled his eyes with a hint of amusement amongst an everlasting sea of bitter sarcasm.

     “I will not hesitate to sell you for a corn chip.”  
   “Look, a bunch of dogs suddenly showed up, I tried to protect myself- and I accidentally hit him. No big deal.”

       “But!” Dolph quickly jumped in, “He was wearing a bulletproof vest and show the bullet didn't actually hit him. It was really creepy...”

        “Wait, what?”  
      “A bulletproof vest, able to withstand eight hundred bullets.” Throwing his arms out wildly, Dolph yelled frantically

        “Did Damien tell you that?” Nerris asked, staring him down suspiciously, practically glaring.  
        “Yeah, why?” Gazing down at the green beans moving like worms or slugs across the plate… pondering, “How can we trust him?”  
        “We can’t, really. He’s a child obsessed creep who probably fantasizes about doing.. god knows what!” Preston explained, his plate almost flying from pounding his fists the table. Laughing lightly, Max flicked Preston in the ear.

         “We aren’t playing dungeons and dragons, Preston, There’s no need to start yelling and moaning.” With a grin stretching from ear to ear, Space kid suddenly shouted.  
        “That's for when the counselors aren't around!” Nikki unsuccessfully stopped herself from laughing, howling and practically falling over from not being able to breathe. She had yet to notice their sharp glares. 

         “Wait wait, is that why you two are in the military get up?” Nurf interjected suddenly- as if he came out of a daze, and back to his old ways, He lifted up one of the campers. Dolph barely had time to gasp before he was hanging by his own neck.

        “Yep, Damien told us to wear them- against _bears_.” Nurf- slightly satisfied with the answer, drops the boy and watched without surprise as he broke through the floorboards.

         “Huh, wonder what kind of plot convenient secrets are hidden in that suspiciously built tunnel. Anyway, what are we talking about?”  
        “Haven’t changed the subject, Nurf.” Nerris sighed tiredly and pinched the bridge of their nose, trying to drone out the growth of talking and death threats. Glancing up only once.  
        “What exactly are you writing, Neil?”  
        “All the shit that those two do. Just in case we get pulled into the custody of the police.”  
        “Fair.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I've been sitting on this idea for a while and I'm super happy to finally post it!


End file.
